In elementary school St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated with green milk, shamrock sugar cookies and Rolos. While green milk is something I would like to stay in the past, I have tried to hold true to the tradition of creating festive treats for the holiday. As years have gone by, I’ve tested out Lucky Charm bars, Guinness Brownies and Irish cream cocktails.  This year, I chose to go out of my comfort zone and try something different – a mini tiered Whisky walnut cake!

To keep things simple, this recipe uses a boxed cake mix. After walnuts and coffee are folded into the batter, you won’t even recognize that this is a store bought mix! Topped with silky whisky buttercream, this St. Patrick’s Day inspired cake is sure to be an instant hit with friends and family!

Whisky Walnut Cake

Ingredients:

• Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix
• 1-1/3 C. strong coffee
• 1/2 C. coconut oil, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 C. walnuts, crushed

For the frosting:

• 3 C. powdered sugar
• 1/3 C. butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbs. bourbon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and greese two round 6 inch cake pans.
• Mix together cake mix, coffee, coconut oil, eggs and walnuts until well combined.
• Pour equal amounts of cake batter into each pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Set cakes aside to cool. Mix together frosting ingredients until buttercream is smooth. If texture is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time until you reach your desired consistancy.
• Frost cake as desired and enjoy!